Battle Dancer feat conundrum

[AngelOfFaith]

Battle Dancer is a fighter bonus feat on page 75 of the PHBII that requires bardic music. It states that when you grant a bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, or saves by singing, you gain a +2 morale bonus on your attack if you also prance about while doing it.

My question is: how is this feat supposed to be used? If I'm granting attack bonuses then I'm using Inspire Courage. That gives morale bonuses as well so they dont stack if I use it on myself. So when is this feat useful? Before I reach Bard lvl 8 so that I get a +2 instead of a +1 on my attack? There isn't a limit on how many blokes I can inspire so that I would be able to inspire one more and use the feat for myself. I don' even think it works with Dragonfire Inspiration because it replaces granting bonuses to rolls...

Please tell me if I'm missing something or if I should just mark it off as useless for my fighting bard...

[Jeff the Green]

No, I think you have it right. Either the writer didn't realize that you count as your own ally (and thus benefit from IC) or forgot that morale bonuses don't stack.

It wouldn't be unreasonable to make it add to the IC bonus, though, given how much worse you can do with IC optimization.

[Reprimand]

I've never heard of a battle dancer what is it? Like a dervish dancer?

[Taveena]

I've never heard of a battle dancer what is it? Like a dervish dancer?


Battle Dancer is a fighter bonus feat on page 75 of the PHBII that requires bardic music. It states that when you grant a bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, or saves by singing, you gain a +2 morale bonus on your attack if you also prance about while doing it.


If you're asking what the fluff is, then... it's someone who dances in battle. Capoeira or the like. There's no inherent fluff besides that?

[StreamOfTheSky]

Yes, by RAW it's a mostly worthless feat (some later bardic music abilities would trigger it w/o already providing an attack bonus, but they're generally inferior to inspire courage anyway). Ask your DM if he'll change it's bonus type to untyped or something else besides morale. If he won't, just take Dragonfire Inspiration instead, it's a stronger feat anyway.

[Reprimand]

If you're asking what the fluff is, then... it's someone who dances in battle. Capoeira or the like. There's no inherent fluff besides that?

Oh I thought it was a class I'm sorry.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Oh I thought it was a class I'm sorry.

There is also a class by that name in Dragon Compendium / dragon magazine. It's basically a full BAB charisma-based monk, which manages to do the impossible: be weaker than a monk.

There's also a magic item, the Slippers of battle dancing, which is probably the only thing in D&D with "battle dance" in the name that isn't horrifically weak or literally worthless.

[Jowgen]

There's actually also another feat called Battle Dance in... dragon 309 I think? It's a epic feat that requires Dex & Cha above 20 as well as 30 perform ranks. The pay off? Add Cha to AC, To-Hit and Reflex. Untyped I think, even. Brilliant if you can cheese your way into getting it by ignoring prerequisites, likeMartial Monk (with Ascetic Mage, to switch stuff to Cha) :smallsmile:

[Thurbane]

There is also a class by that name in Dragon Compendium / dragon magazine. It's basically a full BAB charisma-based monk, which manages to do the impossible: be weaker than a monk.

It's OK for a dip (1-level) in some builds - Cha to AC, full BAB, 4 skill points from an OK list, Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat and a base 1d6 unarmed damage.

But as to the OP, yes, it's a rubbish feat - never noticed it until now.

[AngelOfFaith]

I also find it disappointing that the errata for the PHBII says nothing on the matter...

Anyways thank you for the input - I guess the way it is worded it is useless, but I really don't fancy the idea of taking DFI in its place - it's the ultimate bard cheese as far as I can tell. That in mind what would you guys change the bonus type to? Or should I just ask my DM to make it an unnamed bonus and let me do whatever I want?

[ekarney]

It's OK for a dip (1-level) in some builds - Cha to AC, full BAB, 4 skill points from an OK list, Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat and a base 1d6 unarmed damage.

But as to the OP, yes, it's a rubbish feat - never noticed it until now.

I have a melee Binder in the works at the moment who's dipping Battle Dancer.
Not having to wear armour is a blessing.

[Lo77o]

I have a melee Binder in the works at the moment who's dipping Battle Dancer.
Not having to wear armour is a blessing.

I dont think its a blessing.. I think its untyped.

[Taveena]

It's OK for a dip (1-level) in some builds - Cha to AC, full BAB, 4 skill points from an OK list, Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat and a base 1d6 unarmed damage.

It depends. As a straight 1-20 build with no ACFs, I'd rather play a Battle Dancer than a Monk. Pounce and a full BAB deal with the Monk's biggest problems. With ACFs, though, Monk's considerably better. Hell, Chaos Monk even swaps out the normal alignment restriction.

[StreamOfTheSky]

I also find it disappointing that the errata for the PHBII says nothing on the matter...

Anyways thank you for the input - I guess the way it is worded it is useless, but I really don't fancy the idea of taking DFI in its place - it's the ultimate bard cheese as far as I can tell. That in mind what would you guys change the bonus type to? Or should I just ask my DM to make it an unnamed bonus and let me do whatever I want?

I think it's fine as an unnamed bonus. It's a +2 and only for a specific class, one which is neither a great caster nor fighter (by default...enough splats can certainly change that), and requires another ability active to get it. While as Weapon Focus is a +1 unnamed bonus all the time that anyone can take, and which is the prerequisite for many other important feats and even some class features (like the thrown weapon tricks of master thrower). And NO ONE considers weapon focus a strong or even particularly decent feat.
If your DM says no, I guess the most fitting bonus options besides morale would be competence, luck, or maybe even sacred/profane. I think it's fine w/o a type, though.